Electric-arc lamp



v (No Model.)

E. THOMSON.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

No. 297,199. Patented Apr. 22, 1884.

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NrrEn STATES PATENT rrrcn.

HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC-ARC LLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,199, dated April22,1884.

Applicationfiled J annary 8, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIHU THoMsoiv, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Arc Lamps,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric-arc lamps of the form in which thefeed'regulating operations are carried on under the control of currentin a high-resistance circuit around the carbons, and a starting circuitor coil is employed for bringing the lamp mechanism into normal orproper operating position at the start, and is immediately thereaftercut out or renderedineffective, and is maintained in such conditionwhile the lamp continues to act, so that the feed-regulating operationsmay progress under the action of the derived-circuit current only. Y

In other applications for patent filed by me as sole inventor or asco-inventor, various arrangements of a starting coil or circuit aredescribed, all alike in the general'respect that a starting circuit orcoil indirectly or directly, by the flow of current through it,influences the lamp 'mechanism so as to bring it into position where itmay be left to the control of the highresistance derived-circuit magnet,and that said starting circuit or coil is controlled by a switch orcircuit-controller, whose office is to keep the starting circuit or coilintact and operative until the lamp mechanism is brought to properposition, and then to automatically cut out, open, or otherwise renderthe starting-circuit ineffective and keep it in such condition while thelamp continues to operate.

This invention is broadly claimed in an application filed by E. W.Rice'and myself as 40 joint inventors, January 3,1884,No. 116,300.

My present invention relates more especially to the method of operatingthe circuit-controller and of keeping its contacts in unchanged relationduring movement of the lamp mechanism from a retracted position to anor-Inal or feed-regulating position, and its distinguishing characteristicis the employment of a magnet and armature which hold the contactstogether, in contradistinction to a mechanical catch or other mechanicaldevice described in other applications.

I My invention consists not only broadly in employing a magnet forholding the contacts together, but also in certain details ofarrangement and combinations of parts, the nature of which will beunderstood from the accompanying drawings and description, and whichwill be specifically stated in the claims.

As illustrative of my invention,l have shown it-as applied to a lamp inwhich the starting coil or circuit consists of a third branch or circuitaround the carbons and closed at the start, said circuit containing anelectromagnetic coil or other device responding to the current, for

assisting the, regulating coil or magnet in pullarrangements ofstarting-circuit, and to lamps in which the current in the auxiliarybranch is made to bring the lamp mechanism into operative position inother ways, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of 7 5 an electric lampembodying my invention. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 illustrate modifications ofthe invention that will be stated in detail further on.

Referring to Fig. 1, R indicates the ordinary 8o carbon-holder for theupper or positive carbon of an electric-arc lamp, and E E, respectively,the positive and negative carbons.

L indicates a feed-regulating lever, pivoted at p, and acted upon by theopposing influences of a retractor, S, and of current flowing in ahigh-resistance derived circuit around the carbons. The influence ofsuch currentis brought to bear in the present case, in the ordinary way,by means of a high-resistance mag- 0 net, K, whose coils are in theordinary highresistance shunt around the carbons, (indicated by thenumeral 5,) which magnet acts upon a core or armature connected to L.

P is the pole of the magnet, and B a perfo- 9 rated armature attached toL, and embracing the conoidal or paraboloidal pole P. This form isadopted in order that the magnet may exert the same pull upon the leverL in all positions of the armature for the same strength :00

of current. It is, however, to be understood that my invention is notlimited to any particular form or construction of the magnet system.

Lever L is the feed regulating or controlling lever of the lamp, andserves to adjust the po sition of the carbons by acting directly orindirectly upon any suitable devices that will, when moved in onedirection, raise the upper carbon, and when moved in the otherdirect-ion to a certain extent will permit the carbon to feed orapproach the opposite carbon. As typical of such devices, I have hereinshown a clamp or clutch connected with lever L by a link, 1), so as tobe raised or lowered by said lever or held stationary, according to therelative strength of the current in the highresistance regulati ngcircuit 5 and the strength of the retractor for the lever. Any other device or devices may be used in place of the clutclnprovidcd they be ofproper construction to cause a release of the carbon when moved in onedirection, and to lift the carbon when moved in the opposite direction.The clutch here shown is of the form heretofore invented by me, andconsisting, briefly speaking, of a clamp body or guide, C, through whichthe carbon or carbon-carrier may move, a dog or toe, T, pivoted on saidbody and held normally in engagement with the carbon or carrier by meansof a spring, Z, applied to an arm extending from the toe, so as toprevent the carbon from moving downward through the clutch, and a stop,F, with which the arm engages to release the toe and permit the carbonto feed down whenever the clamp is lowered to a sufficient extent by theregulating-lever or other device, L. The starting-circuit is, in thepresent case, shown, as a branch, 8, around the carbons, formed throughcontacts Q of a switch or circuit-controller, L, and in eludingelectromagnetic coils G of low resistance wound on the same core with K,so that when current flows through said coils G the armature B will bedrawn down and will lower the clutch to a point where the upper carbonwill be released. The contacts Q, are carried, one by the lever L andthe other by or with the feed-regulating lever L, or device movingtherewith. They are here shown as formed, one by the armature B and theother by a magnet, M, which latter is carried by L, and is in electricalconnection with it. W hen the lever L is retracted to its extremeposition, the armature I3 and magnet M come together and at the sametime close the contacts when said lever is drawn down by the action ofthe current in coils G, magnet M sticks to B, so that the two contacts Qand lever L move together and preserve the circuit 8 until an armextending from L strikes a fixed releasing-stop, I), whereby the magnetM and its armature Bare pulled apart, and the spring S thereupon actsupon L and opens the contacts Q. Said lever L is thereupon raised to itsextreme position, where it is held out of range of the ordinaryfeeda'egulating movements of L.

The general operation is as follows: The

lamp being out of action and no current pass ing, the parts assume theposition shown in Fig. 1, contacts Q being closed and the carbons heldseparated by the action of the retractor S. \Vhen current is turnedon,it finds no path through the carbons and divides through K and G, thelarger part passing through G and strongly energizing the magnet, sothat lever L is pulled down against the action of its retraetor S, andthus releases the upper carbon, so that it may feed down into contactwith the lower carbon. In the downward movement of the parts thecontacts Q, are kept together, and the starting-circuit is thuspreserved by the sticking of magnet M to its armature. The release andfeed of the carbon having been effected, the lever L is now drawnagainst stop b, which is suitably adjusted for this purpose, and thecontacts Q are thus forcibly separated, so as to break the circuit forcoils G. Since, at the same time, current is diverted into the circuitthrough the earbons, owing to the contact between them, the spring S nowhas sufficient power to lift the lever and separate the carbons so as toform the are. The lifting movement continues un til the arc is so farlengthened that the current forced into K balances S. The lamp is nowunder the sole control of the coils K,and continues thus, the spring Shaving at the release of M from its armature raised lever L to such aheight that in ordinary feed-regulating movements of L the contacts Q,will not be closed. when the lamp ceases to act, the spring S retractsthe lever to a point where contacts Q come together and magnet M sticksto its armature, so that the parts are in readiness for the nextoperation. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 an electromagnet, J,instead of a permanent magnet, M, is employed. The coils of J, asindicated, are in the starting-circuit 8, which is a branch around thecarbons. By such arrangement the release of the magnet from its armatureand the opening of the startingcireuit are facilitated, owing to thefact that at contact of the carbons current is largely diverted from 8.To still further assist the action, the releasing-stop b for lever L ismade a contact-- stop, and through a short circuit-wire, 7, shunts thecurrent from J, thus de'energizing the latter and promoting the releaseof the magnet and its armature and consequent opening of the contacts.Fig. l simply indicates that the armature for M may be an armature,

'13, independent of B, but insulated from it.

In this arrangement it is unnecessary to in sulate B from its lever. Inthe arrangement shown in Fig. 5 the magnet J is mounted on a fixedsupport; but its armature R" is carried by a spring, Q, attached to andmoving with L. The spring provides the necessary elasticity to permitthe lever L to move without insured by the action of a hook or stop, W,

carried by Land engaging positively with the I when the regulatingleverof the lamp is respring near the end of the same, so as to pull thecontacts apart at the proper time.

The general operation is substantially the same as before described inconnection with the other figures.

Many other modifications may be made without departing from the spiritof my invention.

That I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, in an electric lamphaving a starting coil or circuit, of a'switch or circuit-controller anda magnet and armature for keeping the contacts of the circuitcontrollerset during the forward movement of the feed-regulating mechanism from anextreme retracted position to a feed-regulating position.

2. The combination, in an electric lamp having a starting coil orcircuit, as described, of a circuit-controller or switch that closes thestarting-circuit when the feed-regulating 1ever is in an extremeretracted position, a magnet and armature for keeping the contactsclosed during forward movement of the lever, and a detent or stop foropening the switchcontacts at a predetermined point in the movement ofthe feed-regulating mechanism. v

3. The combination, in an electric lamp, of a starting coil or circuit,a circuit-controller or switch therefor, and a magnet for holding saidswitch contacts in unchanged relation during forward movement of thelamp mechanism from an extreme retracted position,said magnet beingwound with coils connected with the lamp circuits.

4.. The combination, in an electric lamp, of a starting coil-or circuit,a switch or circuitcontroller therefor, and a magnet for holding theswitch-contacts in unchanged relation until the lamp mechanism has beenbrought to feed-regulating position, said magnet being wound with coilsin the starting-circuit of the lamp. v

5. The combination, in an electric lamp, of a starting coil or circuit,a switch or circuitcontroller therefor whose contacts are closed tractedto an extreme position, a magnet for keeping the switch-contacts inunchanged relation during forward movement of the regulating-lever, andmechanism for separating the armature from its magnet, as and for thepurpose described.

6. The combination, in an electric lamp, of a starting coil or circuit,a switch or circuitcontroller therefor, and a magnet and armaturemovable with the switch and lamp mechanism for keeping the parts of saidswitch in unchanged electrical relation.

7 The combination, in an electric lamp, of a starting coil or circuit, aswitch or circuitcontroller therefor, and a magnet and armature, onecarried by the feed mechanism and the other by the circuit-controller,so that the contacts of the latter may be kept in unchanged electricalrelation during an extended movement of the feed mechanism.

8. The combination, in an electric lamp, of a starting coil or circuit,a switch or circuitcontroller, one part of which is movable independently of the lamp mechanism, while the other moves with saidmechanism, a magnet and armature for keeping said parts in unchangedelectrical relation, and a spring or other retractor for separating theparts of the circuit-controller when the armature is freed from themagnet.

9. The combination, in an electric lamp, of a starting coil or circuit,a switch or circuitcontroller therefor, and a magnet for keeping thecontacts of said controller in unchanged electrical relation duringforward movement of thelamp-regulating devices from a retractedposition, said magnets coils being in a branch around the carbons.

Signed at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, this4th day of J anuary, A. D. 1884.

ELIHU THOMSON.

\Vitnesses:

W. O. WAKEFIELD, E. B. DOEN.

